COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 12, 2018

MOTION NO. 11

MOTION: Councillor F. Timmons

That SDCC welcomes the Ratification of the UN convention of the Rights of People with a Disability and to show our commitment to this we will commit as follows:

  1. We commit to Inviting Senator John Dolan who is also CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland to address the chamber on where we are in Ireland with Disability rights and what needs to be done

  2. We welcome and acknowledge the OWL internship in our national Parliament and will seek to investigate opportunities for extending this to our council building and services in consultation with KARE and WALK

  3. We actively support Sgt Peter Woods and his Initiative ‘’Operation Enable’’ and as a council will actively promote Operation Enable via our newsletter and social media

  4. We as a council will look at inviting people with a Disability for organizations such as the Irish Wheelchair association etc onto our SPCs so they are involved in polices and decisions that affect their lives.

  5. We commit to disability proofing all policies and will work within the UN convention of the Rights of People with a Disability that provides the framework to promote, protect and ensure the rights of all people with disabilities and promotes equal rights in all areas of life.

REPORT:

South Dublin County Council’s commitment to working with, and within, the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN CRPD), was set out in the reply to Council Motion 55013 (October 2017). There are 50 articles in the UN CRPD which deal with a diverse range of issues most of which relate in varying degrees to the role and remit of a local authority. Four articles which have particular significance for the Council are:

Article 9 – Accessibility

Article 19 – Living independently and being included in the community

Article 21 – Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information

Article 30 – Participation in Cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport.

In addition to the details contained in the reply to the Council in October 2017, Ms Selina Bonnie, Disability Liaison / Access Officer is currently researching into the WAM (Willing, Able and Mentoring) Programme from AHEAD with regard to accommodating disabled people on internships within the Council. 

The South Dublin County Disability Advisory and Consultative Panel, and relevant staff from SDCC, have met with Sgt Peter Woods and his colleagues with a view to bringing Operation Enable to the County. It is planned that Operation Enable would be brought to the county in the first quarter 2019 with an agreed day of action.

All Council policies and plans are equality, access and plain English proofed on an ongoing basis.

The membership of the Strategic Policy Committees are decided in accordance with Departmental guidelines and are in place for the lifetime of the Council. A new scheme will be prepared after the 2019 Local Elections and will include a consultation process so submissions on membership can be made then.

In order to assess Ireland’s progress in working, with and within, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN CRPD) consideration is also being given to issuing an invite to Emily Logan, who is the Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC), who are charged with responsibility for monitoring and reporting on Irelands implementation of the UN Convention, to address a seminar here in County Hall in early 2019. Further details will be brought to the members as they become available.